Wide Receiver Series – Short Brief #6: Justyn Ross (On the Justyn Ross Hype Train, The Talent is Real)

David Bell

To begin with, I had earmarked Justyn Ross as one of the Roster players on the 53-man roster. I am sticking with that prediction. Since early reports by several pundits and observers of the OTAs and Rookie Camp have been published, Justyn Ross looks excellent. The Clemson wide receiver would have been a high draft pick in 2022, but it was found he suffered from a congenital problem with his back in which two vertebrae became fused (called Klippel-Feil syndrome). This condition and back surgery kept Ross from being drafted, though the corrective surgery while at Clemson was a success, and he returned to football.

After suffering a big hit, Ross had X-rays, which revealed the congenital issue. He was a first-round draft prospect up to that point in time but was able to return to college football. He then suffered a foot injury which later affected him in the Chiefs camp. His Senior year saw his numbers drop. He could not produce the numbers he had during the prior two seasons.

As a Senior, Ross had 46 receptions for 514 yards, a big drop in numbers from the previous two campaigns in which Ross recorded 46 catches for 1,000 yards, followed up in his second year with 57 catches and 865 yards as a Sophomore and Junior. So, we arrive at the point of the draft where Ross fell out the bottom, and Brett Veach later signed him to a UDFA contract, Ross reported for training camp and participated for three days. Ross also had a foot injury from his last year in college football that didn’t heal properly, and he opted to get surgery which kept him out of football last season, and it should be noted that the foot injury was the reason for the stats drop-off of his senior year. If this all works out for the Chiefs, they will be adding what would have been a round-one graded receiver and signing him for UDFA money.

At the time last year, Andy Reid explained what he witnessed:

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“He’s kind of feeling himself out a little bit here,

having been hurt the past couple of years…

He was knocking the rust off here–

you can see the skill.”

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The Chiefs retained Ross despite corrective surgery on his foot, and in 2023 he is ready to rock!

As the off-season progressed, Brett Veach told the press:

“I’ve always said our doctors are on the more conservative side Our docs did a good job exhausting all the information. For me, it’s a little bit easier on how I operate. I know how good our medical staff is. If they tell me yes, I feel good. If they tell me no, I don’t try to become a doctor all of a sudden and try to say, ‘Well, this team said this.’ No. If our doctors say good, we’re good.”

It’s onward and upward for Justyn at this point. In his own presser, Ross observed of himself that he was just getting his foot in the door and trying to make plays, also stating his goals were to put in a lot of hard work and put in the time for real. “I am Just trying to get back to the normal me.” Here he was referring to his first two seasons at Clemson.

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So What Do We Really Know?

Here is how GM Brett Veach views Justyn Ross:

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“Talent wise, as long as he stays healthy, he’ll have a shot… It will come down to how he handles the playbook, being moved around, and staying healthy and on board with QB Patrick Mahomes and the Chief’s offense.”

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What I think we will see from Ross is shown in the photo below.

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Ross Elevated for a Catch – 2021 – Gregory Fisher Photo, Icon Sportswire Photo Credit

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Even then, I would not categorize Ross as injury prone. He suffered a foot injury at Clemson and then had surgery. Apparently, the surgery didn’t fix the problem, and he had to sit out the 2022 season. If he breaks through to a Roster position, Mahomes will inherit a skilled WR who brings a tone of promise as a member of the Chiefs WR Corps. Another upside to getting a year off and being retained by the Chiefs is that Reid’s playbook and working with Patrick Mahomes won’t be a rookie mystery though he is categorized as a Rookie in 2023.

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I cannot tie the congenital back condition to an injury. Indeed it was a huge setback. The foot injury of his Senior Season had a drastic effect, and that carried over as Ross tried to get on board with the Chiefs offense last year. This was truly unfortunate both for the player and for the team. But he was retained on the IR and given time to heal from surgery and return to football form. From Reports out of the OTAs and Rookie Camp, Ross is back, and it’s all systems go, and we can only wait and see if Justyn Ross is a true Round-One type talent and another WR I am very anxious to see in training camp and Pre-Season games!

I have already written that I am on the Justyn Ross Hype Train. I believe Ross will fulfill the promise of his early two seasons at Clemson.

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David Bell — ArrowheadOne

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